National Medical bill in rift with state law

Thiruvananthapuram: National Medical Commission Bill if passed would make the admission supervisory committee toothless.

As per the Bill, 40 percent seats are to be filled by the national medical commission.

As per the practice here, the state-appointed panel decides admissions and fees in all seats.

The recently-promulgated Kerala Medical Education (Regulation and Control of Admission to Private Medical Educational Institutions) Ordinance 2017 also has provisions for the same.

Though the Supreme Court ordered setting up of separate committees for admission supervision and fixing the fees, in the state, Justice R. Rajendra Babu is heading both.

However, as per the provisions of Section 14, Subsection 7, of the National Medical Commission Bill, the power to prescribe norms and determination of the fee for 40 percent seats lies with the commission.

However, the bill does not have any mention of the fee or admission process in the remaining seats.

Education expert Rajendran Puthiyedath said the bill available on the Niti Aayog website was only a draft. It was not the same bill presented in the Parliament.

"I am not sure this provision was amended before it came to the Parliament. Even if the provision was not dropped, under the present circumstances, the bill could not be passed in the Rajya

Sabha without the support of the main opposition Congress," he told DC. "In such circumstances, I don’t think that such provisions which were against the interest of the states would get the support needed in the Rajya Sabha."

Rajoo Krishnan, a former joint commissioner of entrance examinations, said that at present institutions like JIPMER and AIIMS does not admit from the NEET as it did not come under the Medical Council of India (MCI).

There are no provisions in the new bill also to bring them under the ambit of the newly formed commission. The reason given was that they were governed by an Act passed by the Parliament. "However, this should change," he said. "All Central universities were also established as per acts of the Parliament. However, they fall within the ambit of the UGC."

Doctors body to intensify campaign

The IMA will be meeting members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee to press for three demands in connection with the National Medical Commission.
The doctors' fraternity has made it clear that there is no question of accepting the Bill till they are settled.

There should be no registration for Ayush doctors for practising modern medicine, and the proposed bridge course should be annulled.

The National Exit Test (EXIT) proposed in the Bill should be replaced with a uniform final year exam across the country as there was no need for any licentiate exam and the third demand is to allow the private medical colleges to fix fee for 15 percent management quota seats.

On the question of representation for modern medicine, the issue could be discussed along with the major demands to convince the Centre of having more members.

Meanwhile, organisations like Kerala Government Medical Officers Association and Kerala Medical College Teachers Association have decided to intensify their campaign under the aegis of the IMA to keep up pressure on the Union government. The organisations are planning public awareness programmes and interaction with media.

“Our major concern is about EXIT and the bridge course. These proposals will ruin the modern medicine. After completing the MBBS course, they are qualified for the profession, and there is no need for another licentiate exam. The bridge course will destroy modern medicine besides putting the lives of people at risk,” said Dr Kavitha Ravi, president of the KGMCTA.

KGMOA secretary Dr K. A. Raoof said the government should accept the three demands put forward by IMA besides increasing the number of representatives from modern medicine on the proposed commission.